Delaware Hospice, the state's only non-profit hospice, will once again host its annual Beef and Brew fundraiser Friday night.

Proceeds from the event benefit programs and services offered by the organization, from workshops to counseling and support networks. But, despite the seriousness that surrounds hospice care, the night still promises to be light-hearted and fun.

The fun actually starts with The Funsters, a local band that has been playing together for more than 20 years. Expect to dance the night away to anything and everything, from Frank Sinatra and Al Green to The Rollling Stones and The Beatles.

Food will be provided by Lighthouse Landing while the drinks will be taken care of by Banks Wines and Spirits and Starboard Restaurant.

The Rehoboth Beach Film Society will present two sides of the storytelling coin Friday night with two films, highlighting two uniquely Delaware stories at the final winter installment of the Delmarva Roots Film Series.

First, watch "A Ninth Life," an 11-minute film that tells a story that only Milton-based filmmaker Pamela Preston can tell. The film chronicles the intersection of two lives: Jim and Paige. As a young reporter, Jim gets assigned a story about a baby girl who narrowly escapes death. After a couple of close calls, Jim decides to keep tabs on that baby girl, Paige, and see what happens as she grows up. But, as time goes on, Paige becomes less of a story and more of a part of Jim's life, ultimately causing him to question his belief system based on the legendary luck of nine lives.

After the fun of fiction, though, stick around for the facts. Delaware filmmaker Michael Oates has a new story to tell about Delaware's changing coastal life. One hundred years ago, the first state was home to flourishing maritime communities, whose huge harvests of Delaware Bay oysters created local legends of ship captains who lit cigars with $100 bills and bought new Cadillac's every year. Yet today's annual oyster harvest is limited to less than 15,000 bushels, with oyster beds decimated by a succession of deadly diseases and all but one of the sailing schooners gone.

Page 2 of 2 - Oates' film tells the story of one couple's attempts to keep some of that history alive by restoring the oyster schooner Maggie Myers. Frank Eicherly and his wife Jeanne Friend has been lovingly restoring the schooner, without the help of grants or any real outside financial contributions.

Berkana Center for Media and Education President Jeanne Covert said that each screening of the film finds people engrossed in the personal story as much as the factual history of the documentary.

"The response has been positive and at each screening, audiences have really responded to the people of the film," said Covert. "A big part of it is probably that they recognize the people and places that Michael [Oates] chronicled."

The film is 60 minutes long and a discussion with Oates will follow. To purchase advance tickets, visit www.rehobothfilm.com. Tickets will also be available at the door.